This is your weekly Rowing Briefing, covering the key developments of the last seven days on the rowing circuit, both in the UK and beyond. To receive an audio briefing with these stories and more at the start of each week, sign up to Updates. If you have a story to share, contact our news desk – juniorrowingnews@gmail.com.
Domestic Rowing:
“With enormous sadness and disappointment, the Committee has decided to cancel the 2020 Fours Head.”
Committee, The Fours Head
As the week draws to a close, it seems the world has regressed six-months as a fresh lockdown places 60 million brits under restrictions.
The rowing world has, as ever, been hit hard by Whitehall’s decision to revert to a national strategy of lockdowns in an attempt to slow the growth of coronavirus cases in the UK.
British Rowing tweeted with a suggestion that, whilst it’s likely the high-performance arm of the sport will continue, grass-roots rowing will likely suffer another blow.
It comes just hours after what should have been the end of BR’s latest event: The Sprint Festival, cancelled last week due to tightening restrictions around Nottingham.
Fours Head took to the air on Sunday night to announce that they too had been forced to cancel their event in light of Mr Johnson’s decision to close the country. In their official statement, Chairman Richard Phelps said, “I want to thank all the competitors, coaches, club officials and the many volunteers who have showed great understanding and patience as we tried our best to navigate the various challenges we faced. I also want to thank the Fours Head Committee for their tireless energy and creativity in seeking solutions to all those challenges. We look forward to holding an amazing event in 2021.”
The only lighter rowing news this week comes from the Coastal circuit, with Jeremy Wilton appointed as Chair for the upcoming World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprints, which are to be held in 2022 off the Pembrokeshire coast. In a press release, Mr Wilton wrote, “This format of rowing is fast developing and with the profile of these World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals, I’m hoping we can bring greater diversity to the sport.”
International Rowing:
“It could become one of the greatest beach venues in the world for endurance and beach. I can’t wait to be back.”
Guin Batten, Chair of the Rowing for All Commission
It has been confirmed that, much like FISA’s extraordinary conference just a few weeks ago, the 2020 Coaches conference will take place online. This year the keynote speaker is Stephen Seiler on the topic of endurance sports now and in the future. Seiler is a professor of sports science at the University of Agder in Norway. Other speakers include Juergen Steinacker, Simon Goodey and Dr Valery Kleshev.
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